Rio Tinto Indigenous Land Management Award
The Rio Tinto Indigineous Land Management Award is presented to an outstanding indigenous community group or individual that is working towards improving land use or enhancing or protecting an area on behalf of the community.
Sally Moylan, ACT
Sally’s background and cultural values translate to her work environment in challenging situations, where she is not afraid to speak up from a position of knowledge and integrity.
Her ability to influence non-Indigenous staff and decision-makers to consider incorporating Indigenous knowledge into modern day land management practices has been a distinct asset.
In 2014, Sally won both the Department of Education’s ACT and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Awards.
She is integral to ACT Parks and Conservation Service, playing an instrumental role in the region’s Grassland Restoration Project and the Murumbung Ranger Network.
Garguree Swampcare, NSW
Garguree Swampcare was established in 2012 with the aim to repair the highly damaged and degraded swamp system in The Gully.
A joint initiative between The Gully Traditional Owners and the Blue Mountains City Council, their holistic approach has brought healing to Country and forged significant links with environmental partners and the local community.
The area has now been beautified and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers who meet monthly to plant natives and weed out invasive species of plants.
Josephine Grant, NT
Josephine is an inspiration to all Indigenous women who work in land management and look after country.
Since becoming a ranger in 2012 with the Central Land Council Murru-Warinyi Ankkul Group in Tennant Creek, she has progressed to the position of program-wide support officer and is the first Indigenous woman to be employed as ranger group coordinator within the Central Land Council Program.
The positive impact Josephine has made stems from both her personality and style, as well as her ability to engage people and share her considerable knowledge and expertise to facilitate local outcomes.
Bunya People’s Aboriginal Corporation and Burnett Mary Regional Group, QLD
The Bunya Mountains Murri Rangers have been restoring the grassland habitats of the Bunya Mountains through a combination of contemporary management methods and traditional fire management methods.
A historical Aboriginal gathering site, the health of the mountains’ grasslands and eucalypt forests has been in decline since the 1870s due to the reduction of gatherings.
Because of this, fire management in the Bunya Mountains has become a highly significant issue for both cultural and ecological reasons.
Isobelle Campbell, SA
Isobelle has demonstrated true leadership and resilience in caring for country in her many roles at Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park (CP) and the Riverine Recovery Project.
She has also been involved with conservation land management as custodian of the Peramangk, Nunguraku and Ngaiwang nations.
Isobelle is one of the first Aboriginal CP wardens in South Australia, a role where she is responsible for the management and protection of the park under the legislative and regulatory frameworks that govern its management.
Glenorchy Reconciliation Group, TAS
Glenorchy Reconciliation Group brings together Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to build understanding and respect for cultural heritage.
Its projects include; weed removal in Berriedale, protection of Aboriginal heritage, revegetation with local plants, and community education.
The group’s current project involves the protection and rehabilitation of an important midden on the Derwent River foreshore at Little Frying Pan Island, near to where a number of elders have lived.
The group has also been installing commemorative and educational materials at the site.
Angela Jeffery, VIC
Over the past four years, Angela has coordinated and led numerous community educational and engagement events in collaboration with the Corangamite Landcare Program.
These events have incorporated educational activities centred on cultural heritage practices and land management with landholders, Landcare groups, and Landcare staff.
The time and commitment Angela has invested in building trust and understanding for such projects has highlighted her clear understanding of the importance of relationships in achieving outcomes.
Spinifex Land Management, WA
Anangu Pila Nguru (Spinifex People) are the original managers of the Spinifex Lands and have been caring for the area for thousands of years.
In recent years these lands have been faced with new threats.
To keep the Spinifex people, culture and land healthy, traditional and contemporary land management projects have evolved. The Spinifex Land Management Program is the product of that evolution.
Developed by local rangers and the community, the program involves an Indigenous ranger team and a Healthy Country Plan that provide direction, technical support, and resources.
